A Devotion for Easter 6: You Are Not Alone
‘I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.’ "
- John 14.15-21
Last week, I revealed to you that I tend to procrastinate: New Year’s resolutions, changing the AC filter, turning in library books. I’m guilty of neglecting all of these.
This week, I have another confession: I love musical theater. Broadway, local shows, community theater – you name it.
One of my most recent favorites is Dear Evan Hansen, the story of a young man with social anxiety who finds himself caught up in a great misunderstanding and attempts to find his way in the chaos of high school life. In one poignant song, the cast gathers to sing “You Will Be Found,” a ballad that acknowledges the loneliness of life, the isolating feeling we all experience at some point in time.
Evan Hansen asks:
“Have you ever felt like nobody was there
Have you felt forgotten in the middle of nowhere
Have you ever felt like you could disappear
Like you could fall and no one would hear?”
In response, the company sings:
“Even when the dark comes crashing through
When you need a friend to carry you
And when you're broken on the ground
You will be found.”
This song (and the entire original Broadway recording) is on repeat in my house and my car. Consider my kids indoctrinated cultured. It is an empowering song. A reminder that, no matter how alone we may feel, we are not left to our own devices.
It is this same refrain that we read in our Gospel text this week. Jesus’ words in this passage immediately follow our Gospel passage from last week. He and the disciples are still at the table, lingering and visiting as Jesus speaks the critical words he wants to offer his friends before he is taken from them. We see the depth of Jesus’ care for them, his wish for them to understand how he means for them to abide with him after he is gone. In this passage he tells them that he “will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever.”
Jesus wants them to understand that he will be with them, and how it will happen: he tells them not only that the Paraclete will be in them, but also that he will be in the Father, the disciples will be in him, and he will be in them.
The disciples are not going to be left alone. Jesus’ parting words to them are this reminder: you are not alone.
In the text, the Greek word parakletos, the Greek word commonly translated as Advocate or Helper means literally “one called to the side of, an advocate or an attorney.”
In his absence, Jesus will send help, one to abide with and advocate for the disciples. More than just help out the disciples in the wake of Jesus’ death; the Paraclete will sustain and make possible their ongoing relationship with him. The Paraclete that Jesus sends is the Holy Spirit, the fire that will fall on the crowds at Pentecost.
And ultimately, with the aid of the Holy Spirit, the believers in the early church will become for one another advocates as well. They will be their brother’s and sister’s keepers, following the witness of Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit to transform the world.
The disciples will not be left alone, and they will not leave one another alone.
Working remotely and being spread out over the entire state of Florida can be a difficult thing for a staff to face. I am not surprised to hear from many of you that it has been a challenge to adjust to this working style. I hear you.
If I could give you a simple reminder it’s this: you are not alone. Not in this work. Not in your life.
For your disaster recovery work, when you find yourself feeling alone, isolated, or overwhelmed, take steps to connect. Make it a point to find a co-working space, connect with your Team Leader or other local team members. Set a schedule that allows you to see other people or get out of your home office at least once a day. Find what works for you so that you can feel engaged, supported, and encouraged in this often-challenging work.
Beyond your work life, who do you turn to when things seem overwhelming? Who are the people in your life that remind you that you are indeed not alone? Who are the people that draw you close to God, that help sustain your relationship with God when it feels fractured?
Christ’s promise of the Holy Spirit, the Helper and Advocate who he will send to the disciples, is also our promise: that the Spirit will sustain us as we live into the love to which Christ calls us.
We have not been left alone. Rather, we have the help of God, who reminds us: “I am for you.”
May you know the challenging peace of the One who is on your side and who is within you.
In Easter devotion,
Chaplain Amy
Last week, I revealed to you that I tend to procrastinate: New Year’s resolutions, changing the AC filter, turning in library books. I’m guilty of neglecting all of these.
This week, I have another confession: I love musical theater. Broadway, local shows, community theater – you name it.
One of my most recent favorites is Dear Evan Hansen, the story of a young man with social anxiety who finds himself caught up in a great misunderstanding and attempts to find his way in the chaos of high school life. In one poignant song, the cast gathers to sing “You Will Be Found,” a ballad that acknowledges the loneliness of life, the isolating feeling we all experience at some point in time.
Evan Hansen asks:
“Have you ever felt like nobody was there
Have you felt forgotten in the middle of nowhere
Have you ever felt like you could disappear
Like you could fall and no one would hear?”
In response, the company sings:
“Even when the dark comes crashing through
When you need a friend to carry you
And when you're broken on the ground
You will be found.”
This song (and the entire original Broadway recording) is on repeat in my house and my car. Consider my kids indoctrinated cultured. It is an empowering song. A reminder that, no matter how alone we may feel, we are not left to our own devices.
It is this same refrain that we read in our Gospel text this week. Jesus’ words in this passage immediately follow our Gospel passage from last week. He and the disciples are still at the table, lingering and visiting as Jesus speaks the critical words he wants to offer his friends before he is taken from them. We see the depth of Jesus’ care for them, his wish for them to understand how he means for them to abide with him after he is gone. In this passage he tells them that he “will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever.”
Jesus wants them to understand that he will be with them, and how it will happen: he tells them not only that the Paraclete will be in them, but also that he will be in the Father, the disciples will be in him, and he will be in them.
The disciples are not going to be left alone. Jesus’ parting words to them are this reminder: you are not alone.
In the text, the Greek word parakletos, the Greek word commonly translated as Advocate or Helper means literally “one called to the side of, an advocate or an attorney.”
In his absence, Jesus will send help, one to abide with and advocate for the disciples. More than just help out the disciples in the wake of Jesus’ death; the Paraclete will sustain and make possible their ongoing relationship with him. The Paraclete that Jesus sends is the Holy Spirit, the fire that will fall on the crowds at Pentecost.
And ultimately, with the aid of the Holy Spirit, the believers in the early church will become for one another advocates as well. They will be their brother’s and sister’s keepers, following the witness of Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit to transform the world.
The disciples will not be left alone, and they will not leave one another alone.
Working remotely and being spread out over the entire state of Florida can be a difficult thing for a staff to face. I am not surprised to hear from many of you that it has been a challenge to adjust to this working style. I hear you.
If I could give you a simple reminder it’s this: you are not alone. Not in this work. Not in your life.
For your disaster recovery work, when you find yourself feeling alone, isolated, or overwhelmed, take steps to connect. Make it a point to find a co-working space, connect with your Team Leader or other local team members. Set a schedule that allows you to see other people or get out of your home office at least once a day. Find what works for you so that you can feel engaged, supported, and encouraged in this often-challenging work.
Beyond your work life, who do you turn to when things seem overwhelming? Who are the people in your life that remind you that you are indeed not alone? Who are the people that draw you close to God, that help sustain your relationship with God when it feels fractured?
Christ’s promise of the Holy Spirit, the Helper and Advocate who he will send to the disciples, is also our promise: that the Spirit will sustain us as we live into the love to which Christ calls us.
We have not been left alone. Rather, we have the help of God, who reminds us: “I am for you.”
May you know the challenging peace of the One who is on your side and who is within you.
In Easter devotion,
Chaplain Amy
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